Romans 9:22-24

What if God, choosing to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the objects of His wrath--prepared for destruction? What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the objects of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory--even us, whom He also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

V22 – Paul gives us a glimpse of the secret purposes of God in v22-23. Notice the three steps of Paul’s argument. First, although God had every right to immediately judge the wicked, He didn’t. Paul says that this is exhibit A of the mercy of God. We should have been justly destroyed already, but we haven’t been. Then the second part of the argument: Instead, what did God do? He patiently endured the sin of the reprobate. He “bore with great patience the objects of wrath – prepared for destruction.” The gate of repentance to the reprobate was and is open. Paul is drawing your attention to the graciousness in the long suffering of God with the wicked. Abraham is told that his descendants are going to be in captivity in Egypt for 430 years. Why? “Because the sin of the Amorites is not yet complete.” The Canaanites (Amorites included) were godless pagans, and God could have sent the children to Israel into the Land of Canaan and wiped them all out, and it would have been just. But He endured their sin for 430 years, more than enough time to repent. Think of Judas with Jesus. Jesus knew what would transpire, yet he patiently walked with Judas until the betrayal actually occurred.

We’ll see part three of Paul’s argument in v23. But first, let me note that the text says that these vessels of wrath were prepared for destruction. It doesn’t say that God prepared them for destruction. In v23, we’ll see that the vessels of mercy were indeed prepared in advance by God. The doctrine of election is often balanced by the doctrine of reprobation – that God chooses some to save and chooses some to send to hell. We must be careful here, because saying it that way might lead some people to think that God can be blamed for their eternal destruction. And Scripture certainly doesn’t teach that. If you’re elect, then you have only God to thank. If you’re reprobate, then you have only yourself to blame. The saved person thankfully says, “I’m saved because of God.” The lost person must truthfully say, “I’m condemned because of me.” Those who are damned will never be able to blame God saying, “I’m damned, because God did not choose me!” Their damnation is based not upon God’s rejection of them but upon their rejection of God. God is just in displaying His wrath against sin and power in judgment on those who are objects of destruction.

V23 – Paul continues the glimpse into God’s sovereign purposes with the third part of his argument: God did this in order to show his mercy to His chosen ones. Paul is assuring us that when, on the day of wrath and judgment and glory, on the day that God the Father reveals His Son in all His glory, that on that day we will look at every deed, including God’s choosing some and passing over others, and we will say, “Ah, I see now how that exalts God’s mercy. That is why He did it – for the display of His glory and mercy to those who have tasted His mercy.” If you ask, “How can God condemn?” Paul says God’s condemnation serves to exalt His mercy.

People object to v22 by asking, “How can a loving God choose some and pass over others without compromising His love?” And Paul comes back and says, “It is the purpose of the secret counsel of God that everything He does conspires to reveal His glory to those who have tasted His mercy.” This is one of the fundamental problems many people have with election. They say, “How can you say that a loving God would choose some and condemn others to eternal damnation?” And here is Paul’s answer: “Everything that God does, including that, is part of the design to reveal His glorious mercy.” God’s purpose in election, God’s purpose in choosing, God’s purpose in foreordaining His people before the foundation of the world is to make known His glory to the objects of His mercy, which were prepared in advance. God’s ultimate purpose is to make Himself fully known in all His glory to His people! Amazing!

V24 – Even us! God has called “us” to be vessels of mercy. And we will see His power and glory in the destruction of the wicked and the merciful and gracious salvation of our souls. Paul gets us back on path, not to dwell on why God destines some to eternal destruction, but to dwell on the fact that He has poured out on us His infinite mercy and saving love and unending faithfulness on us. Paul is helping his audience (and us) to understand that God’s chosen people are those whom He has called, “not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles.” And in God’s Church, made up of His called ones, His elect, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, but all are one in Christ. See Colossians 3:5-17.

So how do we respond to Paul’s teachings on the doctrine of election? Be like Paul. Have compassion on the lost. Pray that they would be saved. Work hard to convey the Gospel message to them. Scatter the seed indiscriminately. But don’t think it unfair or unjust of our righteous God that they haven’t been chosen for salvation. Nobody going to hell is being treated unfairly. If anybody is treated unfairly, it’s you, because God graciously gave you mercy, when you deserved justice. It’s true that they’ll get justice; they’ll get what they deserve. But you’ll get mercy. So instead dwell on the fact that God has chosen you to be saved; He did so before creation. He set on you His intense saving love, and you will receive His infinite mercy through the channel of faith. And we will see the fullness of His glory in the destruction of the wicked – which is what we were. But we were called out of the darkness and into the light. Praise Him!